Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has expressed deep sorrow over the deaths of nine people in a landslide triggered by continuous rainfall in Cox’s Bazar on the night of July 5. In a statement issued to the media on Monday, the party’s Secretary General, Mia Golam Porwar, conveyed condolences to the victims’ families and prayed for the recovery of the injured.

Porwar stated that the landslide, which occurred between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m., claimed the lives of residents including Rohingya refugees living in the hilly areas. He blamed Myanmar’s military junta for forcing the Rohingya population to take shelter in vulnerable regions of Bangladesh and urged the international community and human rights organizations to take effective measures to ensure their dignified repatriation.

He further called on the government to provide financial assistance to the affected families and to take precautionary steps to relocate residents living at the foot of hills in Cox’s Bazar and other hilly districts to safer areas.